Method and apparatus for adjusting flux emitted from branched light guides
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorCheryl Annette Vrieze
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical splitter, having a stem and multiple branches integrally connected to the stem, has a junction between the stem and the multiple branches which is flexible. By controlling the angle between the stem and the multiple branches while maintaining a fixed angle between the multiple branches, i.e., by flexing the junction, the flux emitted from each of the multiple branches is adjustable based on the angle each branch makes with respect to the stem.
Claims20
A method of controlling an amount of light emitted from each of a plurality of branches of an optical splitter comprising the steps of:
- providing an optical splitter including a stem and at least two branches integrally connected to the stem, wherein a junction between the stem and the at least two branches is flexible and wherein the at least two branches each have a uniform cross-sectional area;
- maintaining a fixed angle between each of the at least two branches;
- and
- controlling the amount of light emitted from each of the at least two branches by adjusting an angle between the stem of the optical splitter and the at least two branches.
A system for controlling the amount of light emitted from a plurality of downstream branches, the system comprising:
- an optical splitter mounted on a splitter adjustment device, said splitter having an upstream stem and at least two downstream branches, wherein each of the upstream stem and downstream branches are formed from light guides, wherein the at least two downstream branches each have a uniform cross-sectional area, wherein a junction between the upstream stem and the at least two downstream branches is flexible, and further wherein there is maintained a fixed angle between each of the at least two branches and wherein an amount of light emitted from each of the at least two downstream branches of said optical splitter is adjusted by using the splitter adjustment device to adjust the angle between the upstream stem and the at least two downstream branches of the optical splitter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.